Competency G
Understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge.
Introduction
Providing access and retrieval to the many thousands of catalogs within many library types is an ambitious endeavor: it requires application of standards, method and procedures. The evolution of information organization has evolved rapidly since the advent of technology. The nature of a standard is to provide authority and structure to an often subjective world, and make accessible the “aboutness” of a given “thing”, but complexity lies in providing enough flexibility to accommodate rapid changes. As technology and the internet have presented new challenges to catalog functionality, LIS has incorporated standards that reflect new bibliographic entry points, for example Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), so that data may correspond to the context of the user’s search. Other classification methods, such folksonomies, tagging or even geographical information (GIS), have evolved organically and are part of the present and future of cataloging and classification. As the information universe continues to expand, so too will the role of librarians as information managers, in both the public and private setting, wrangling the vast amounts of digital and print information.
Standards
Standards are defined as, “established authority as a rule for the measure of quality, weight, extent, value or quantity” (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary). Standards control the organization of information through external and internal pressures. Imagine if every library had to provide a unique catalog entry for their collection—unless you had extremely intimate knowledge of every book, document, film, etc., no user could cross reference materials, much less one subject of the catalog to another. The purpose of standards is to provide best practices, an acknowledged direction and uniformity across a network of information centers and libraries. There are multiple systems of standards used throughout LIS, including AACR and Machine Readable Content (MARC). Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR) is a set of standardized tools for cataloging various types of materials—it governs bibliographic description of any item, and the choice and form of entry for headings (access points) in the catalog (ODLIS [digital], 2012). Other methods derived from the AARC are AACR2-e which is a version of AACR2, and Resource Description and Access (RDA). The Paris Principles (1961) underpin the standardized cataloging codes and rules, and reflects the international endeavor to standardize all information in the library (Chan, p.49-50).
MARC is the digital standard format for bibliographic items, and was developed to facilitate the use of MARC records in different environment (Chan, p.457-79). Other MARC related formats are eXtensible Markup Language (XML) which allow for metadata with the MARC record, also known as meta-language. Other derivations of MARC and XML are Document Type Definitions (DTD), MARCXML and Encoded Archival Description (EAD).
External standards need to be recognized when applying any sort of cataloging system to an organization, often to comply with legal considerations, and are an essential function within an organization. The International Organization for Standards (ISO) is an example of a far-reaching international standard that recognizes the importance of applying and conforming to record keeping standards of categorization and organization to ensure safety, accountability, efficiency and interchangeability (ISO [digital] 2011).
Methods
The system of methods refers to Library of Congress Classification (LCC), Dewey Decimal Classification (DCC), and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), which are used by the information seeker to query and retrieve information. LCC is today the most popular method of classification in the world, due to: its orientation toward research libraries; and its economic advantages (copy catalog v. original cataloging), as LCC allows the cataloger to copy whole MARC records into their own local catalog. LCC classification is based upon 21 disciplines of thought and divisions within the subclasses are assigned Cutter Numbers (a combination of capital letter and one or more numerals) to further accession items, and provide unique identifiers for every document in the library.
Principles in the Organization & Representation of Knowledge
Originally, cataloging was an individual activity for each library—by the early part of the twentieth-century librarians realized the value in standardization of catalog practice. Acquisitions and processing are an important part of the library, and are often separate departments in a large library organization, called technical services. The role of technical services is to apply cataloging standards to reflect the online and in-person library demands. In order to understand what cataloging entails, I relate the desired goals or principles of cataloging outlined through Charles Cutter’s “Rules for a Dictionary Catalog” stated as: 1) enable a person to find a book of which either the author, title or subject is known, and also excludes; 2) To show what the library has by a given author, on a given subject, in a given kind of literature; and 3) To assist the choice of a book as to its edition or as to it character (literary or topical) (Chan, p.54). These rules reflect the most basic principles of the catalog which reflect not only the material, but what the material is about, its context, and how it relates to the rest of the catalog. Inclusion is as necessary as exclusion, and relevance and precision are the measurement of a catalog’s success.
Evidence
I demonstrate my ability to create a cataloging record through the software OCLC Connexion during a LIBR 248 cataloging procedure in which I was to identify and assign subject control to fictional works (LIBR 248-Connexion Catalog Procedure). This exercise enables the cataloger to identify the various facets, or characteristics, that divide up a topic based upon style, genre and period. Both analysis and synthesis are used to break apart and reassemble the meaning of the iteration, to then assign a subject heading. MARC fields are determined through the manipulation of Connexion (OCLC) software, which assign the proper information according to LCSH methods and AACR2 cataloging standards. The attached assignment shows my mastery of cataloging procedure, and thorough knowledge of the Connexion cataloging software.
As my second evidence, I demonstrate my knowledge of document standards and organization through a LIBR 257 records management exercise (LIBR 257-Final Record Retention Schedule), in which we used national standards for describing and applying methods and standards for storage and retention. Analyzing and migrating important digital interdepartmental documents from the UC Berkeley Bankroft Library, I created standardized metadata in order to identify the documents accross a wide network of departments within the larger university orgnization. Both the method of classification and the policy of records retention, as established through the UC Berkeley Library, were closely applied to documents defined in this project.
Conclusion
As long as knowledge and information will be created, the role of the librarian and information manager will continue to expand. Standards used to control and define vast amounts of information are something we take for granted: but without their control, worldwide access to the information we enjoy would be severely impeded, if possible at all. Methods of classification continue to be updated and change, especially due to technology. The far reaching implications of standards and methods on information ensure not only accessibility, but accountability and relevance in the document life-cycle.
References
Chan, Lois Mai. (2007). Cataloging and classification: an Introduction, 3rd ed. Lanham, MY: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Evans, E.G. and Saponaro, M.Z. (2005). Developing library and information center collections, 5th ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
International Organization of Standards. (2011). Retrieved April 11th, 2012. [digital]. http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm
Introduction
Providing access and retrieval to the many thousands of catalogs within many library types is an ambitious endeavor: it requires application of standards, method and procedures. The evolution of information organization has evolved rapidly since the advent of technology. The nature of a standard is to provide authority and structure to an often subjective world, and make accessible the “aboutness” of a given “thing”, but complexity lies in providing enough flexibility to accommodate rapid changes. As technology and the internet have presented new challenges to catalog functionality, LIS has incorporated standards that reflect new bibliographic entry points, for example Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), so that data may correspond to the context of the user’s search. Other classification methods, such folksonomies, tagging or even geographical information (GIS), have evolved organically and are part of the present and future of cataloging and classification. As the information universe continues to expand, so too will the role of librarians as information managers, in both the public and private setting, wrangling the vast amounts of digital and print information.
Standards
Standards are defined as, “established authority as a rule for the measure of quality, weight, extent, value or quantity” (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary). Standards control the organization of information through external and internal pressures. Imagine if every library had to provide a unique catalog entry for their collection—unless you had extremely intimate knowledge of every book, document, film, etc., no user could cross reference materials, much less one subject of the catalog to another. The purpose of standards is to provide best practices, an acknowledged direction and uniformity across a network of information centers and libraries. There are multiple systems of standards used throughout LIS, including AACR and Machine Readable Content (MARC). Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR) is a set of standardized tools for cataloging various types of materials—it governs bibliographic description of any item, and the choice and form of entry for headings (access points) in the catalog (ODLIS [digital], 2012). Other methods derived from the AARC are AACR2-e which is a version of AACR2, and Resource Description and Access (RDA). The Paris Principles (1961) underpin the standardized cataloging codes and rules, and reflects the international endeavor to standardize all information in the library (Chan, p.49-50).
MARC is the digital standard format for bibliographic items, and was developed to facilitate the use of MARC records in different environment (Chan, p.457-79). Other MARC related formats are eXtensible Markup Language (XML) which allow for metadata with the MARC record, also known as meta-language. Other derivations of MARC and XML are Document Type Definitions (DTD), MARCXML and Encoded Archival Description (EAD).
External standards need to be recognized when applying any sort of cataloging system to an organization, often to comply with legal considerations, and are an essential function within an organization. The International Organization for Standards (ISO) is an example of a far-reaching international standard that recognizes the importance of applying and conforming to record keeping standards of categorization and organization to ensure safety, accountability, efficiency and interchangeability (ISO [digital] 2011).
Methods
The system of methods refers to Library of Congress Classification (LCC), Dewey Decimal Classification (DCC), and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), which are used by the information seeker to query and retrieve information. LCC is today the most popular method of classification in the world, due to: its orientation toward research libraries; and its economic advantages (copy catalog v. original cataloging), as LCC allows the cataloger to copy whole MARC records into their own local catalog. LCC classification is based upon 21 disciplines of thought and divisions within the subclasses are assigned Cutter Numbers (a combination of capital letter and one or more numerals) to further accession items, and provide unique identifiers for every document in the library.
Principles in the Organization & Representation of Knowledge
Originally, cataloging was an individual activity for each library—by the early part of the twentieth-century librarians realized the value in standardization of catalog practice. Acquisitions and processing are an important part of the library, and are often separate departments in a large library organization, called technical services. The role of technical services is to apply cataloging standards to reflect the online and in-person library demands. In order to understand what cataloging entails, I relate the desired goals or principles of cataloging outlined through Charles Cutter’s “Rules for a Dictionary Catalog” stated as: 1) enable a person to find a book of which either the author, title or subject is known, and also excludes; 2) To show what the library has by a given author, on a given subject, in a given kind of literature; and 3) To assist the choice of a book as to its edition or as to it character (literary or topical) (Chan, p.54). These rules reflect the most basic principles of the catalog which reflect not only the material, but what the material is about, its context, and how it relates to the rest of the catalog. Inclusion is as necessary as exclusion, and relevance and precision are the measurement of a catalog’s success.
Evidence
I demonstrate my ability to create a cataloging record through the software OCLC Connexion during a LIBR 248 cataloging procedure in which I was to identify and assign subject control to fictional works (LIBR 248-Connexion Catalog Procedure). This exercise enables the cataloger to identify the various facets, or characteristics, that divide up a topic based upon style, genre and period. Both analysis and synthesis are used to break apart and reassemble the meaning of the iteration, to then assign a subject heading. MARC fields are determined through the manipulation of Connexion (OCLC) software, which assign the proper information according to LCSH methods and AACR2 cataloging standards. The attached assignment shows my mastery of cataloging procedure, and thorough knowledge of the Connexion cataloging software.
As my second evidence, I demonstrate my knowledge of document standards and organization through a LIBR 257 records management exercise (LIBR 257-Final Record Retention Schedule), in which we used national standards for describing and applying methods and standards for storage and retention. Analyzing and migrating important digital interdepartmental documents from the UC Berkeley Bankroft Library, I created standardized metadata in order to identify the documents accross a wide network of departments within the larger university orgnization. Both the method of classification and the policy of records retention, as established through the UC Berkeley Library, were closely applied to documents defined in this project.
Conclusion
As long as knowledge and information will be created, the role of the librarian and information manager will continue to expand. Standards used to control and define vast amounts of information are something we take for granted: but without their control, worldwide access to the information we enjoy would be severely impeded, if possible at all. Methods of classification continue to be updated and change, especially due to technology. The far reaching implications of standards and methods on information ensure not only accessibility, but accountability and relevance in the document life-cycle.
References
Chan, Lois Mai. (2007). Cataloging and classification: an Introduction, 3rd ed. Lanham, MY: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Evans, E.G. and Saponaro, M.Z. (2005). Developing library and information center collections, 5th ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
International Organization of Standards. (2011). Retrieved April 11th, 2012. [digital]. http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm